1. Can I cut grass when it is wet?

It is not advisable to cut grass that is very wet. This is because wet grass doesn’t cut as well as dry grass and tends to produce larger grass clippings. These wet clippings then clump together and can block up the mowers deck and grass chute, making grass collection difficult and resulting in clumps of grass clippings all over your lawn.

The finished cut is likely to be uneven too. Grass blades tend to bend over when wet rather than stand upright meaning your mower blade will miss them. Once your lawn is dry it is likely to look patchy and uneven as the missed grass leaves unbend.

Ideally it is best to wait until the grass is completely dry before mowing. If you are unsure, try mowing a strip of grass. If you find the grass clumping or sticking to the underside of the mower it is probably still too damp to mow.

2. Can I mulch my lawn when it is wet? 

As with mowing and collecting grass, it is best to wait for the grass to dry before mulching. Wet grass will not cut as cleanly and is likely to clump together - so rather than being mulched and injected back into your lawn evenly, the grass will be dropped in large, wet clumps that will look untidy and worse still, can kill off the grass underneath it.

3. Do I need to charge the battery in my ride-on mower or does it self-charge?

Unlike a car battery most ride-on mower batteries do not generate enough charge when in use to adequately recharge the battery. Therefore, it is necessary to recharge the battery regularly. Most ride-on mowers come with a charger – check with your dealer or manufacturer if you do not have one.
It is important to regularly charge the battery especially over winter or when not in use for long periods of time. Check your manual for recommended maintenance for your ride-on mower battery.
Find your nearest lawn mower dealer here!

4. How should I store my lawnmower for winter?

• If you have a petrol lawnmower, we recommend completely draining the machine of fuel. Petrol starts to go stale after 30 days from purchase and if left in your mower over winter could damage the carburettor and engine causing your mower not to start when you get it out again next year. Read our draining fuel guide on how best to remove this.
• Unlike petrol, we advise topping up the oil in your mower or changing it and adding fresh before storing your mower away. Make sure to use the correct type of oil for your mower.
• Remove any batteries from your lawnmower and store indoors in a cool, dry place. This includes batteries for quick electric start engines. Remember to charge them regularly to keep them healthy.
• Give it a good clean! Remove any dirt or debris from your mower, paying close attention to the underside of your mower and blade. If left it may be harder to remove this in the new year making your mower less efficient and resulting in an inferior cut. Many modern models have a washing deck link so you can simply attach your garden hose and clean the underside. Avoid using pressure washers on your mower as the high pressure can damage it. Make sure your mower is completely dry once cleaned to avoid rusting.
• If your mower is a petrol model, make sure to store it flat on ground level and not upright or hanging on a wall to avoid oil spilling and flooding the engine.
• Never hang a lawnmower from its handlebars as generally mower handles are not designed to carry the weight of the mower and will bend or break. Most modern models have folding handlebars to help with storage space and some lawnmowers are also designed to be folded down and stored upright or on a wall. Check your manual or with your manufacturer on how to best store your model.
• Lastly make sure the shed or garage you are storing your mower in is dry and leak free. We recommend also covering your lawnmower to help protect it. Lawn mower covers for both walk-behind lawnmowers and garden tractors are available from most lawnmower manufacturers and dealers. You could also use an old blanket or bedsheet if it is clean and dry.
• Do not forget to book your mower in for servicing before Spring arrives.

Find your nearest lawn mower repair/servicing agent here!

5. How long should my battery last in my battery powered mower before it needs replacing?

The life of your battery will vary depending on the spec of the battery, how often it is used and how well it is maintained.
Modern Lithium-ion lawnmower batteries should typically last for around 600 cycles which equates to approximately 7 years of domestic use. It is important to regularly charge your batteries especially when not in use for long periods of time such as winter. Over winter we advise removing your batteries from your mower and store indoors in a cool, dry place, recharging regularly to keep them healthy.

6. My grass collector keeps falling apart!

• If it is a plastic clip-together model, make sure each part is correctly and fully clipped together (check your manual and assembly you-tube videos for help)
• If your collector is a canvas bag model and comes with a metal frame, make sure the frame is correctly fitted to the bag – some frames are designed to be secured with screws and washers to the bag – so make sure you follow the assembly instructions especially if you have any parts left over.
• Check the bag is not inside out – check the seams are on the inside and any logo is on the outside of the bag.
• Check that the seams are not split or in the case of a plastic collector, none of the clips are broken. This will need replacing if it is broken or torn.
• A correctly assembled grass collector should not fall apart – check your manual for assembly instructions or contact your manufacturer or dealer for further assistance.

If you are not confident to do this yourself your local dealer should be able to help you with this.

Find your nearest lawn mower dealer here!

7. My lawn mower is not picking up grass!

• Check that the mulching plug (if your mower has this function) is not in place. The mulching plug blocks the grass chute to allow you to mulch and needs to be removed to collect grass via the chute. Mulching plugs are easy to remove – check your manual if you are unsure.
• Check the underside of your mower – clear any grass or debris from the blade and underside of your deck
• Check the grass chute is not blocked
• Check that the grass collector is correctly attached and assembled.
• If your grass collect is a fabric one check for dry grass or debris stuck to the inside. Use a hard bristled brush and give the inside a brush – air needs to circulate through the fibres to maximise grass pick up.
• If grass is very long the amount of grass may be the issue. Try raising the deck and cutting the grass at a higher setting first before lowing the deck and cutting a second time to the desired length.
• If the grass is very wet it may clump and be difficult to collect. Wait for the grass to dry out before cutting.

8. My mower blade has fallen off!

It is likely that your blade boss has sheared off. The blade boss sits behind the blade and holds the blade on with two metal pins – one either side of the centre of the blade. These pins are designed to shear off and stop the blade from turning if the blade hits something hard like a stone. They shear off to stop the blade from turning and doing more serious damage to the engine or underside of the mower. If these have sheared off, you will need to replace the blade boss.

Blade bosses are inexpensive and can be purchased from most dealers online. They are easy to fit, and your dealer or manufacturer should be able to advise you how to do this. It is important to make sure however that the blade bolt is tightened to the correct torque setting otherwise the new blade boss may shear when you restart your mower. Your manufacture can advise you of the correct setting.

If you are not confident to do this yourself your local dealer should be able to help you with this.
Find your nearest lawn mower repair/servicing agent here!

9. What is Mulching?

Mulching is becoming increasing popular and used on a regular basis, is an efficient way to recycle your grass clippings back into your lawn. Grass clippings are cut into extra fine particles that are blown down into the lawn to decompose and return valuable nutrients to the soil. There are dedicated mulching garden tractors and walk-behind mowers, and many mowers also have the option to mulch by simply inserting a mulching plug into the discharge chute.

Save Time

Mulching your lawn is much quicker than collecting the grass – eliminating the need to stop multiple times to empty the grass collector. You can mow your lawn or grassy area without stopping - typically saving at least 30% of the time it would take with a collecting mower to finish the job.

Save Money

As well as saving you time, mulching also saves you money as the time your mower will be running will be approx. 30% shorter – so that is 30% less fuel your mower will be consuming! It also saves you money as you no longer need to purchase commercial fertilisers for your lawn, with your own natural ‘mulch’ fertiliser that is completely free!

Feed Your Lawn

The number one benefit of mulching is a healthy and fabulous looking lawn.
A typical half-acre lawn can produce 4.5 tonnes of grass clippings each season. Those clippings contain as much 55 kilos of nitrogen. If you use a mulching mower or the mulching option that is enough nitrogen to keep your lawn as healthy and green as using any commercial fertiliser. Your lawn also benefits from a steady natural diet with each cut, rather than periodic high doses of chemical fertilisers.

10. My Self-Propel is no longer working?

If the self-propel on your lawnmower has stopped working this will cause a loss of drive to the mower and is normally due to one of the following reasons:

• The clutch cable has lost tension through either stretching or loss of adjustment.

– check cable adjustment and replace if necessary. Guides on how to do this can be found on the www.servicelink.org website or contact your local service dealer.

• The clutch cable has broken or has become detached.

– replace clutch drive cable through local service dealer

• The drive belt has come off the drive pulleys.

– drive belt needs to be refitted. Guides on how to do this can be found on the www.servicelink.org.uk website or contact your local service dealer.

• The drive belt has stretched or broken.

– replace new belt. Guides on how to do this can be found on the www.servicelink.org.uk website or contact your local service dealer.

• Gearbox failure

– the mower would need to be inspected and replaced by an authorised service dealer

11. Contaminated  Fuel

This issue is often encountered if -

• A mower is stored over winter without emptying it of fuel first
• If old fuel is used to top up the lawn mower.

It is important to use ‘fresh’ fuel in any engine and avoid using fuel which is older than 30 days old. This is because modern fuel contains ethanol which absorbs water from the air and contaminates
the fuel causing it to separate as shown in the picture below.
It can also cause corrosion and blockages in the fueling system resulting in poor engine performance and if left unchecked can damage your engine.

Symptoms of contaminated fuel include -

• Mower will not start
• Rough running
• Engine revs hunting (increasing and decreasing)
• Cutting out
Universal Fuel Stabiliser is a fuel additive that will keep fuel fresh for easy starting and maximum performance for up to 2 years. If you are likely to keep fuel stored for longer than 30 days, adding this product to your fuel when you purchase it will help to avoid fuel contamination.

This issue is easily resolved by simply drain the mower of fuel entirely via the carburetors float bowl as described overleaf and refilling with fresh fuel.

Honda Engines

What you will need -
• 10mm spanner
• Container to catch the fuel
• A cloth or rag
Locate the float bowl drain bolt on the carburetor. This is the single bolt underneath the carburetor as shown in the photo fig 1.

Place a cloth or container underneath the drain bolt to catch the fuel that is drained from the carburetor.

Using a 10mm spanner, loosen the drain bolt and allow the fuel to drain out of the carburetor into the container as shown in fig 2.

Tighten the drain bolt and refill with fresh fuel.

Wipe away any spilt fuel and start as normal.

Mountfield Engines

What you will need -
• 10mm spanner
• Container to catch the fuel
• A cloth or rag
Locate the float bowl drain bolt on the carburetor. This is the bolt underneath the carburetor at an angle on the float bowl as shown in the photo fig 3.

Place a cloth or container underneath the drain bolt to catch the fuel that is drained from the carburetor.

Using a 10mm spanner, loosen the drain bolt and allow the fuel to drain out of the carburetor into the container as shown in fig 4.

Tighten the drain bolt and refill with fresh fuel.

Wipe away any spilt fuel and start as normal

12. Draining the Fuel & Oil

From time to time you may need to drain the lawnmower of fuel & oil either to transport it or as part of a regular service routine. The following instructions cover Mountfield and Honda engined walkbehind lawnmowers.
What you will need -

• A container to collect the oil & fuel
• 10mm spanner
• A piece of cloth or rag for cleaning
• Oil syringe / syphon (optional)

Draining the Fuel
The easiest way to drain the lawnmower of all its fuel is to simply run the lawnmower until it runs out of fuel and stops. This may however take a while if the tank is fuel.
You can also drain the fuel from the bottom of the carburetor without the need to run the lawnmower until empty. This tends to be the quicker option and only takes a few minutes.

This picture shows a Mountfield engine from the front of the lawnmower. To the right of the plate with “OHV” on it, you will see the bottom of the carburetor float bowl.There are two bolts on the bottom of the float bowl, one that goes vertically and one at an angle. Place a suitable container underneath the float bowl to catch the fuel and  using  a  10mm  spanner  loosen  the bolt at an angle. The fuel will drain into the container. Tighten the bolt again after all the fuel has been drained from the lawnmower,

This picture shows a Honda engine from the front of the lawnmower. To the right of the plate with “HONDA” on it, you will see the bottom of the carburetor float bowl.There is a bolt on the bottom of the float bowl. Place a suitable container underneath the float bowl to catch the fuel and using a 10mm spanner loosen the bolt at the bottom of the floatbowl. The fuel will drain into the container. Tighten the bolt again after all the fuel has been drained from the lawnmower.
 
Draining the Oil
The oil comes out of the lawnmower the same way in which it entered as there is no sump plug on these engines.
Begin by starting the mower and allowing it to run for two minutes to warm up the oil in the engine. Warm oil is much easier to pour and you will remove more of the oil by following this step.
Using a suitable oil syringe or syphon, remove the oil from the engine via the oil fill tube.
Please bear in mind the oil will be warm and you should have a suitable container ready in which to put the old oil.
If you do not have an oil syphon or syringe, you can tip the lawnmower sideways to pour the oil out.
Place your foot next to the rear wheel on the same side as the oil fill pipe. Hold a suitable container close to the oil fill tube and pull the lawnmower  slowly onto  its  side  using  the handles.
The lawnmower can continue to be tipped until the handles touch the ground.
Replace the oil cap / dipstick and wipe away any spillage that may have occurred.
Please note:
The lawnmower must not be started if the oil has been drained as serious damage will result.